A BRIEF HISTORY
OF THIS KEY FORAGE FISH

Early Use by Native Americans

• Native Americans were the first to recognize the value of menhaden, using them as fertilizer for crops.

• They taught European settlers to bury menhaden with corn seeds, enhancing soil fertility.

Colonial Era to 19th Century

• Colonists adopted the practice of using menhaden as fertilizer, leading to increased agricultural productivity.

• By the mid-19th century, menhaden oil became a significant industrial lubricant, replacing whale oil.

• The menhaden fishing industry grew rapidly, with hundreds of ships and dozens of factories along the Eastern seaboard.

Industrial Revolution and Peak Fishing

• Post-Civil War, menhaden became the largest catch of any American fishery.

• The reduction industry boomed, grinding menhaden into fish meal and oil for various products.

• Overfishing concerns began to emerge as catches fluctuated and the geographic range of the fishery shrank.

20th Century Challenges

• The menhaden population faced increasing pressure from industrial-scale fishing.

• Environmental awareness grew, with recognition of menhaden's crucial role in the marine ecosystem.

• States began to ban reduction fishing, with Virginia remaining the last Atlantic coast state to allow the practice.

Early Conservation Efforts

• The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) was established to manage menhaden stocks along the Atlantic coastline.

• Despite this, the menhaden population continued to decline due to sustained industrialized fishing practices.

Gulf Menhaden Fishery Development

• The Gulf menhaden (Brevoortia patronus) fishery developed later than the Atlantic fishery but grew rapidly in the 20th century.

• By the 1970s, the Gulf menhaden fishery had become the largest fishery by volume in the United States.

• The Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC) was established to coordinate management of Gulf fisheries, including menhaden.

21st Century: Towards Ecological Management

• 2012: First harvest limits on menhaden in over 100 years were established for Atlantic menhaden.

• Increased public awareness of menhaden's importance led to calls for more conservative management in both the Atlantic and Gulf.

• Advocacy groups like Menhaden Defenders pushed for ecosystem-based management approaches.

Modern Ecological Reference Points

• ASMFC began considering ecological reference points (ERPs) to account for menhaden's role in the ecosystem.

• ERPs aim to maintain sufficient menhaden biomass to support predator species like striped bass, bluefish, and weakfish.

• In 2020, ASMFC adopted ERPs for Atlantic menhaden, marking a shift towards ecosystem-based fisheries management.

• The Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission has been slower to adopt ERPs, but discussions are ongoing about implementing similar ecosystem-based management for Gulf menhaden.

Ongoing Challenges and Future Outlook

• Debates continue over appropriate catch limits and the balance between commercial fishing and ecosystem needs in both the Atlantic and Gulf.

• Efforts to restore menhaden to their historical abundance and range are ongoing.

• The Gulf menhaden fishery faces unique challenges, including concerns about bycatch of other species and the impact of reduction fishing on the Gulf ecosystem.

• There is growing pressure to align Gulf menhaden management with the more conservation-oriented approach adopted for Atlantic menhaden.